U.S. patent number 5,098,146 [Application Number 07/669,484] was granted by the patent office on 1992-03-24 for movable floor for a pickup truck.
Invention is credited to Helmut Albrecht, John Fabing.
United States Patent |
5,098,146 |
Albrecht , et al. |
March 24, 1992 |
Movable floor for a pickup truck
Abstract
This invention is a sliding floor for utility vehicles. The
sliding floor consists of longitudinally C-shaped channels disposed
at either side of the truck bed and extending parallel to each
other. A sliding plate adapted for lengthwise movement to and fro
over the floor of the truck is mounted for movement dictated by the
channel mounting and acting as race ways for the sliding plate. The
sliding plate rests upon rollers interposed between the C-shaped
channels which permits the sliding plate to be easily moved
inwardly and outwardly of the truck bed. At the back of the sliding
floor, stop means are provided to prevent the sliding plate from
moving beyond a designated end of the truck bed. A lock is
preferably provided that locks the sliding plate in several
extended positions. Also support legs are provided to provide
surface support for the floor, if desired, when the floor is
extended.
Inventors: |
Albrecht; Helmut (Valley City,
OH), Fabing; John (Cape Coral, FL) |
Family
ID: |
24686492 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/669,484 |
Filed: |
March 14, 1991 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/26.09;
108/44 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60P
1/52 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60P
1/00 (20060101); B60P 1/52 (20060101); B60P
001/52 () |
Field of
Search: |
;296/26 ;414/522
;108/44,137,160 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pedder; Dennis H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Slough; J. Helen
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A sliding floor for a utility vehicle comprising:
longitudinally extending C-shaped channels secured to the floor of
a utility vehicle, said channels extending longitudinally and
parallel to each other;
a sliding plate having a back which rides above the C-shaped
channels;
interlocking means secured to the sliding plate adapted to ride
within the C-shaped channels; and,
rollers journaled at opposite ends to a respective one of said
channels to produce a rolling surface over which the sliding plate
travels.
2. A sliding floor for utility vehicles as in claim 1 further
comprising a front latch that restrains the sliding plate in a
selected forward position when locked.
3. A sliding floor for utility vehicles as in claim 1 further
comprising a lock placed at the back of the sliding plate to
restrain the sliding plate from moving beyond a selected position
at the rear.
4. A sliding floor for a utility vehicle as in claim 1 further
comprising a lock that allows the sliding plate to be locked in
several extended positions.
5. A sliding floor for a utility vehicle as in claim 1 comprising a
means for adding support when the sliding plate is in an extended
position, said means being secured to the sliding plate.
6. A sliding floor for a utility vehicle as in claim 1 further
comprising a leg secured to the sliding plate which leg is carried
beneath the sliding plate when the sliding plate is disposed over
the floor of the vehicle and when the sliding plate is extended to
a position beyond the end of the vehicle the leg provides support
for the extended sliding plate.
7. A sliding floor for a utility vehicle as in claim 1 further
comprising a foldable leg secured to the sliding plate which leg is
folded beneath the sliding plate when the sliding plate is disposed
over the floor of the vehicle and when the sliding plate is
extended beyond the end of the vehicle said leg can fold out and
provide support for the extended sliding plate.
8. A sliding floor for a utility vehicle as in claim 6 wherein the
leg is adjustable to different heights.
9. A slidable floor as in claim 1 wherein the means for
interlocking is a T-shaped block attached to the sliding plate and
said block is adapted to ride within the C-shaped channels.
10. A slidable floor for utility vehicle as in claim 1 wherein the
means for interlocking comprises a flat cap plate attached to the
sliding plate and having end plates attached thereto which extend
downwardly, each of said end plates having an ear extending
outwardly therefrom, said interlocking means being adapted to ride
within the C-shaped channels.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a movable floor for a pickup truck bed or
van.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pickup trucks are vehicles designed for carrying small to medium
size loads in open beds which are located behind the cab of the
truck. The beds are normally provided with vertically disposed side
panels. "Caps" are commonly used for covering the pickup truck bed
which enclose the pickup truck bed to enable the use thereof as
"campers". Typically such "caps" are installed on the bed for
extended periods of time. Mounting of the same over a truck bed
commonly however presents difficulties in loading and unloading the
pickup truck bed and necessitating an individual desiring to load
or unload to reach or crawl under such caps in order to retrieve
objects or material stored in the pickup truck bed covered by the
cap.
One solution for solving the problems hereinbefore referred to
which has been suggested lies in providing a movable tool bed, as
shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,315 to Cherry. While this appears a
suitable solution for removing relatively smaller items such as
tools stored in the truck, it is not an acceptable solution for
removing larger loads.
Telescoping or Sliding Units have been used, as shown in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 2,852,303 to Hopson, 4,681,360 to Peters et al, and 4,909,558
to Roshinsky which sliding units can be pulled out by an individual
unloading the truck. Once a portion of the truck body extension in
such structures is extended beyond the truck body, material and
objects carried on the extended body can be unloaded from the floor
extension without being hampered by a cap on the pickup or by the
sides of the pickup. The extension means in such prior structures
have been found to be complicated, expensive in manufacture and
present difficulties in use. Such structures also have been found
difficult to install.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a
sliding or movable floor for the truck bed which is inexpensive in
manufacture and highly efficient in use. It is further an object of
this invention to produce a floor which can be easily and quickly
installed within a pickup truck.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a slidable floor for the truck bed of a
utility vehicle and said floor is especially designed for use in
"pickup" trucks and for trucks having a "cap" over the same and
providing means for extending the bed or portion of said slidable
floor beyond the truck bed area and beyond the "cap" covered area
of the bed of the truck or the bed thereof so that the bed of the
truck can be readily loaded or unloaded and easily moved from
original seating within the bed of the truck to a position wherein
a substantial portion of the same can be extended beyond the bed of
the truck position beyond a position of the bed and later readily
moved back into its original seated position. The sliding floor is
attached to the bed or floor of the pickup truck and adapted to
ride within longitudinally extending C-shaped channels mounted on
either side of the truck bed and extending parallel to each other.
The extension floor is provided with a sliding plate adapted for
longitudinal lengthwise movement over the floor or bed of the
truck. In the preferred form of the invention spaced rails are
secured on the underside of the slidable floor which are adapted to
interlock in C-shaped channels secured to the bottom floor or bed
of the truck. Interposed between the C-shaped channels the plate
rides on roller means which permit the sliding plate to be easily
rolled inwardly and outwardly on the bed of the truck. Stops are
provided to prevent the entire sliding plate from moving beyond the
end of the truck and a stop or lock is provided at the inner end of
the sliding plate end to securely retain the entire sliding plate
within the truck bed as desired. Stops or locks are also provided
so that the plate can be extended beyond the bed truck at various
lengths. Also when the secured plate is extended outwardly from the
bed of the truck means are provided for supporting the extended
plate if necessary. In one form the said means utilizes a foldable
leg adjustable in length is adapted to be carried on the underside
of the plate and to be disposed in contact with ground surfaces
beneath the extended plate and beyond the end of the truck.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top view of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional front view of one embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view of another embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 4 is the front view showing the front latch of one embodiment
of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the front latch of another
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the front latch of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is the side view of the front latch of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the back lock of the
invention;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the folded leg of the invention;
and
FIG. 10 shows the folded leg of the invention in phantom in its
storage position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1 through 10 illustrate several embodiments of the invention
in which like parts are designated by like reference characters. As
shown in FIG. 2 at 10 the bed of the pickup truck or a flat hard
surface for the bed is shown which is usually made of steel,
aluminum or like metals. In this floor or bed 10 of the pickup
truck a plurality of openings 12 are provided which are adapted to
receive countersunk mounting bolts 14 for mounting longitudinally
extending C-shaped channels 15a, 15b, 15c parallel to each other
upon the bed or floor of the truck. In FIG. 2 a sliding plate 20 is
shown which, in a preferred embodiment, is also preferably
constructed of steel, aluminum or like metal. The plate 20 is of
substantially the length and width of the bed area carrying the
longitudinally extending C-shaped channels. A series of spaced
openings 22 are provided in the sliding plate 20 which are adapted
to receive countersunk top mounting bolts 24. In the embodiment of
FIG. 2 a set of inverted T-shaped blocks 26a, 26b, and 26c are
mounted on the bolts 24 to provide means for movement of the plate
20 within the channels 15a, 15b and 15c, the channels providing a
race way for the slidable plate. The T-shaped blocks are provided
with laterally extending ears 28 on either side of the same, and
the same are captured within the inwardly extending feet 29a, 29b,
and 29c thereby preventing the T-shaped blocks 26 from moving
upwardly or downwardly or from side to side of the channels and
thus confining the sliding plate's movement to the lengthwise
direction. As shown, the T-shaped blocks 26 are of a length
approximately the same as the length of the sliding plate 20 and
are slidable within grooves of raceway provided by the channels.
The sliding plate 20 further rests on rollers 18 interposed between
the C-shaped channels 16 and secured thereto which permits the
sliding plate 20 to be easily moved inwardly and outwardly within
or with portions thereof extended beyond the end of the truck.
FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention in which the
T-shaped blocks are replaced with an interlocking piece 52. This
piece is basically formed by a flat cap plate 52 which is attached
to sliding plate 20 by a mounting bolt 54. At the end of the cap
plate are two end plates 58 that extend downwardly into the
C-shaped channel. On each of these end plates is an ear 60 that
extends outwardly and locks the interlocking piece 52 in the
C-shaped channel 16 as shown in FIG. 3. In this second embodiment
the interlocking pieces 52 are of a length of the sliding plate and
the C-shaped channel and they are slidable within the grooves of
the raceways of the C-shaped channels 16. As in the previous
embodiment the sliding plate 20 further rests on rollers 18
interposed between the C-shaped channels 16 and secured thereto
which permit the sliding plate 20 to be easily moved inwardly and
outwardly within or with portion thereof extending beyond the end
of the truck.
The floor can be easily installed by an amateur. Preferably
openings 12 are drilled in the bottom of the pickup truck bed 10.
The longitudinally extending C-shaped channels 15a, 15b, and 15c
are placed on the bed 10 of the truck and openings in the channels
aligned with openings 12 in the bottom 10 of the truck. The
countersunk mounting bolts 14 are then threaded through the
C-shaped channels 15 and the floor or bed 10 of the pickup truck.
Thereafter, rollers 18 are mounted on the C-shaped channels 16.
Bearings for said rollers preferably are threaded through openings
16 in the upstanding legs of the channels. The sliding plate 20
carrying the longitudinally extending T-shaped blocks 26 or the
interlocking pieces 52 may already have been assembled at the
factory by placing the T-shaped blocks 20 or the interlocking
pieces 52 parallel to each other on the bottom of the sliding plate
20 and aligning the openings in the longitudinally extending
T-shaped blocks or interlocking pieces 52 with the opening 22 of
the sliding plate 20 and then inserting the countersunk top
mounting bolts 24 or 54 through the sliding plate 20 and mounting
the T-shaped blocks on 26 or interlocking pieces 52 on said sliding
plate 20. One assembling the sliding floor on a pickup truck may
then take the assembled sliding plate and blocks and slide the
T-shaped blocks 26 or interlocking pieces 52 into the C-shaped
channels 16 to assemble the sliding floor of the invention to the
truck bed.
FIG. 1 illustrates a front latching device 40 and back locks 32 on
the slidable floor and shows placement of back locks 32 at the rear
end of the pickup truck bed and a front latch 40 at the front end
of the pickup bed which is adapted to lock the sliding floor in a
preferred adjustable lengthwise position beyond the rear of the
truck bed. In FIG. 8 the back locks 32 are shown which comprise a
stop 34 with a slanted edge 36. It will be noted that the said
slanted edge 36 faces toward the front of the floor extension. On
the sliding plate a second stop 44 is mounted on a countersunk bolt
8. In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 8 the second block 44
also has a slanting edge 46 that slants toward the back of the
slidable floor. The second stop 44 mounted on the sliding plate 20
is adapted so that when the sliding plate 20 is pushed back toward
the rear of the floor extension the slanted edge 46 of the second
stop 44 will meet the slanted edge 36 of the first stop 34 and the
sliding plate 20 will not be able to move beyond that point. In
FIG. 1 the back lock 32 is shown mounted at each back corner of the
floor extension at the rear of the truck bed.
In FIG. 1 the front latch 40 is mounted generally at the center of
the front end of the floor extension or the back of the truck. In
the preferred embodiment the front latch 40 is formed by a loop 50
that surrounds a peg 52 and said loop 50 keeps the peg 52 from
moving forward. The peg 52 is attached to the bottom of the sliding
plate 20. The loop 50 is attached to the floor of the truck 20 and
in the preferred embodiment the loop 50 is made from a bar 54 to
which a C-shaped metal piece 56 is attached. Said C-shaped metal
piece 56 is attached such that it will be able to move vertically
up and down. The bar 54 is then attached to the bottom of the truck
bed 10. The C-shaped piece when in the up position, as shown in
FIG. 7, keeps the peg 52 from moving forward. The C-shaped piece 56
is kept in the up position by a spring 58. When a person wishes to
move the top plate 20 forward and extend the floor outwardly from
the pickup, that person forces the C-shaped piece 56 down and thus
allows the peg 52 to move forward past the C-shaped piece 56.
In FIGS. 5 and 6 another embodiment is disclosed of a locking
device to be employed with the sliding floor which not only locks
the sliding plate in its wholly seated position on the bed or floor
of the truck but is constructed in a manner whereby an individual
can lock the sliding plate at different extended positions
thereover. As shown a track C is provided on the truck bed or floor
having notches D therein. A rod A having an arm B at one end and a
handle E on the other end provides means whereby the rod is adapted
to be seated in a selected notch D as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The
handle E is used to seat or release the arm from a selected notch D
to enable the plate 10 to be moved the desired extension by seating
the same in another notch. The arm B which is adapted to be seated
within a desired notch D in the track C is retained therein by
spring means F, as shown in FIG. 5. Said locking means allows the
sliding floor to be moved to different positions on the bed or
floor of the truck and to be retained in a selected position.
The sliding floor of this invention may also be provided with means
for supporting the sliding floor when a substantial portion of the
same is disposed rearwardly of the end of the truck and a leg 70 is
shown for said support means in FIG. 9. The leg 70 as shown is
adjustable to different lengths wherefor the leg 70 which as shown
is adapted to be carried under the sliding floor when the floor is
extended beyond the rear end of the truck. When portions of the
said floor are extended beyond the end of the truck the leg 70 may
be dropped to engage ground or other underlying surface to provide
support for the floor. In FIG. 9 a leg 70 is shown pivotally
attached to the sliding floor 20. When portions of the floor are
pulled out beyond the end of the truck the leg 70 is adapted to be
pulled downwardly, as shown in FIG. 9 and locked into supporting
position perpendicular to the plate.
Although the description above contains many specifics, these
should not be constructed as limiting the scope of the invention
but are merely provided to illustrate the preferred embodiments of
this invention. Changes and modification of embodiment can be
carried out without departing from the scope of the invention which
is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *